The reason behind this: I live in Boston, MA, Ulcered Sphincter of Ass-erica, and commute by the T (public transportation trolley/subway system). Since this is America, I need to drown out the morons yammering loudly for most of my commute.

In any case, I've been using iPod earbuds for a while, since they were free with my iPod (I know, how trendy, but I need the storage space, and Creative and I have a hit and miss relationship). They also happen to be very portable, and have decent enough sound quality not to drive me completely insane.

Recently, I've started to notice that earbuds in general have become uncomfortable and awkward to wear, and that my hearing has been getting worse and worse. I need to get rid of them now before I do any more damage. (After a week of non-use I can tell my hearing is recovering a bit, so thankfully it is not permanent).

I have a pair of nice AKG studio heaphones I use at home for my high quality audio needs, but I refuse to take them out on anything but the most sunny days as I don't think they'd fare well in inclement weather, and I'd like to keep them in good working order.

I'm looking for some recommendations on reasonably light and preferably compact headphones with excellent sound quality, for a reasonable price (under $100 U.S. unless they sound truly exceptional and are very rugged). If you've got some recommendations on super-comfy earbuds, those are most welcome as well.

I use shure e2c. There might still be some left (when it was announced they were discontinued I ran to the stores to buy two more pairs) The noise isolation is amazing, so much that sometimes I'm pissed because the only thing I can hear is my own heart. I can't speak for the new SE line. They might be better, they might be cheaper but sold at the same price point. Used the e2c in the paris metro and the london underground, they and their inhabitants yield in front of the earbuds.I tried the etymolitic but they snapped after a few months of use So that was 120 bucks well spent. Shure has a sturdy cord and it just feels like your money went somewhere. Go intra auricular.

Sony MDR-Q22LP headphones are ideal if you find it uncomfortable to have buds in your ears, but like the portability. They rest outside the ear, but use a wire instead of a band, so they're basically like more comfortable earbuds.

Lewis Prothero: "Did you like that? USA... Ulcered Sphincter of Ass-erica, I mean what else can you say? Here was a country that had everything, absolutely everything. And now, 20 years later, is what? The world's biggest leper colony. Why? Godlessness. Let me say that again... Godlessness. It wasn't the war they started. It wasn't the plague they created. It was Judgement. No one escapes their past. No one escapes Judgement. You think he's not up there? You think he's not watching over this country? How else can you explain it? He tested us, but we came through. We did what we had to do. Islington. Enfield. I was there, I saw it all. Immigrants, Muslims, homosexuals, terrorists. Disease-ridden degenerates. They had to go. Strength through unity. Unity through faith. I'm a God-fearing Englishman and I'm goddamn proud of it!" (V for Vendetta, the 2005 movie adaptation)

It may be part of a vilification monologue, but I quite like the play on the acronym "USA" there.

I like the City of Boston itself, and am quite pleased to live here, aside from said loud people on the T. :-)

You have to stick it in pretty firmly to enjoy the fullness of it, something you might not want to do if you want to not get run over by a car since the only sound you will hear then is your own footsteps (and music). It does need some mileage play before the earbuds deliver in that regard, though -like any earbuds.i don't listen to bass heavy music so you might want to google more focused reviews.

The reason behind this: I live in Boston, MA, Ulcered Sphincter of Ass-erica, and commute by the T (public transportation trolley/subway system). Since this is America, I need to drown out the morons yammering loudly for most of my commute.

I like the City of Boston itself, and am quite pleased to live here, aside from said loud people on the T. :-)

Exactly. How is it that everyone on the T is so fucking inane? it's ridiculous, on top of being generally unreliable and slow (I live on the B line.) Having to put up with people makes the whole thing terrible. This is why I walk everywhere I can. But beyond the T I'd agree it's a good city, though today's weather sucks, it'll only get worse till April. The T is one of the larger downsides of living here in Boston, except the fairly high cost of living relative to most other places. (from what I've heard...)

I live on the B line as well, and the problem with that line in particular seems to be that it's such a hodgepodge of college students, young professionals, and the elderly that live near me in Brighton. Everyone on there thinks they own the MBTA and can do what they want when they want, and so few think about the comfort of everyone else riding with them. For instance the "I'm going to stand right next to the door instead of moving in the train to let people get on, even though I'm getting off 10 stops from here and will have no problem working my way forward to get off by then" mentality, among others.

There's also the American conception of cell phone etiquette which is basically "if I have a decent signal I have a right to scream in to the bloody thing at the top of my lungs, what with freedom of speech and all that", and all the bars in Allston which people seem constantly on the way to and from and seems to necessitate screaming with their friends about how drunk they are or are going to get.

The E and C have the same issues, substituting "more college students, less elderly, and Brigham Circle", and "less college students, more young professionals, and Coolidge Corner" where approriate. The D line just serves too many towns for its own good.

I used to commute to work at 6:30 am, when it was dead quiet because everyone was still half asleep. That was the most pleasant commute I have ever had by T. Now I usually try to find a corner and stay out of the way, if at all possible. That seems to work reasonably well.

Cost of living in general here is higher than most places I've been (but manageable), but the real insanity is specifically in the cost of housing. I did some math based off a listing for a house in Brookline and figured out that in the very nice area of southern New Jersey I used to live in I could by a house twice as large for 1/4 the cost.

Not to turn this in to a bitch fest about the T or anything, but I people who ride any mass transit system can feel some of this pain, and that pain begets good recommendations for how to deal with it. For instance, I never leave the house without a book and my music anymore, given how long it can take to get somewhere by T.

So let's go with that, anyone with good headphone recommendations, or recommendations on how to deal with the insanity of mass transit systems, please post!

Being bschory's roommate and all we kind of live in the same place... I broke my headphones on the T at Boylston today and I had to ride the entire B line out having to listen to everyone else on the T... almost caused some stabbing (not really... although one particular "gentleman" really tempted me). Now I need new ones too :( Although I think I can salavage mine enough to make them usable till I get new ones.

On a side note I am loving the weather today, I've been waiting for snow since late October.

- Sarpedon, Are you a student or professional? Nice finding fellow Ellis fans/stalkers in our area.

I buy a cheap pair of Sony MDR-V150s every 6 months or so. They don't last long- I usually destroy the plastic by then. But they sound very good, and I can get a pair for $20 or so. If I could find something that I knew wouldn't get destroyed after 6 months, I'd buy them instead, but for $20, you get a really good-sounding pair of cans. Plus, in the winter, they double as earmuffs.

As for mass transit, I spend about 4 hours a day on the NJ transit trains (from NYC to Bradley Beach, NJ). I cannot leave home without a book, a magazine, an iPod, AND my DS. I'll inevitably turn to at least one of them before the commute will end.

I was guilty once of poor cell phone conduct on a train. The guy in front of me overreacted (he was a bit drunk), but it was my fault. I have a mother who rides the line of bipolar frenzy every day, and sometimes it's tempting to shout at her to keep her from diving into the sort of madness that will cost me a few hundred bucks to sort out. I've since gotten a Bluetooth headset, and make very sure I don't raise my voice.

You know what's great to do on trains? Read manga. I've read Lone Wolf and Cub and GTO so far on the train- that's 53 volumes since September. Plus I read two Marvel Essential Moon Knight books. Neat stuff.

I love my commute. Before this, I drove to work, and would routinely get stuck on 287. Sitting in traffic for an hour became quite painful. Trains are much more comfortable to sit in, and I can get a quick nap in before work (although I have to be careful- 3 times, I ended up in Hoboken. Once, I ended up in the train yard. Not sure which was worse.)

i despised berlin's u-bahn because it was mouse quiet and polite to a fault. raucaus public transportation gives you the best stories: "this guy ______ all over this ______ and he smelt ______. and the conductor ______ and then the transit cops came and everyone _______."

that said, only buy in-ear headphones with a variety of sized buds. i've bought too many only to find out that they don't fit comfortably and are now a wasted piece of oddly shaped plastic. despite the caps' tendency to fall off in my pocket, the bose in-ears are worth the investment. thinking how much money they cost makes me treat them with care. they overcompensate on the low frequencies, but it's a marked improvement to tin static bass of most.

Naturally there are circumstances when shouting is necessary, or at least unavoidable. I don't have a real problem with a brief bout of shouting, especially in cases like yours. It's more the "I'm going to have a friendly conversation needlessly at the top of my voice for 20 minutes straight" (*giggle giggle* 'and what'd he say?' *giggle* 'and what'd she say?' *giggle*) that tends to annoy me the most.

I also completely agree about commuting by train. It's so much better than driving since you can just relax and wait to get there, instead of having to be in conscious control of a moving vehicle.

I can definitely see manga being a good choice. I used to commute while reading the Transmetropolitan trades. They were the perfect kind of content since it doesn't take overly long to get through them, but they keep me grossly entertained. I haven't carried my game boy in years, but that may need to be thrown in my bag. I've been meaning to play Golden Sun again in any case.

Agreed completely. These are mostly for all the moments when people are being loud and ridiculous without being entertaining, or when I've had a long day at work and just want to retreat in to my own little world.

When you say the Bose in-ears overcompensate on the lower frequencies, is it really noticeable, like "it feels like my head is resting on a night club subwoofer" or just slightly overbalanced on the low end?

re: bose: first impression feels exaggerated, but after a week i tested my old cheap ones for comparison and they seemed squeeky raspy shit. i've no regrets, and can listen to thump thump music and have it sound proper.

I can't recommend the noise reducing Sennheisers highly enough. They cut out the background noise, so you don't have to listen as loud, doing less damage to your eardrums. I actually own some of the larger, clunkier ones, because 1) they provide maximal noise reduction and 2) give you that "fuck off, I'm listening to music" vibe. (But if anybody asks, I'm listening to NPR. I just love Terry Gross, yadda yadda yadda, which gives them that "you fuck off, you're listening to NPR" vibe. Either way, you're golden.)